New Yorks Democratic leadership is once again paralyzed by its appetite for ever-higher spending, and taxpayers are the ones left holding the bill.
According to Sean Hannity, the state and city are now mired in budgetary limbo because the political class refuses to live within its means, even in a period of relative economic stability. On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is required to unveil his fiscal blueprint for the new budget year, which begins in just seven weeks, yet he has already signaled that what he presents will be little more than a shell document. The plan, initially floated at $127 billion in February and likely to be even larger now, is expected to be riddled with gaps, placeholders and question marks that render any headline spending figure essentially meaningless.
Mamdanis defense for this numbers to be named later approach is that he is waiting on Albany to decide how to close a $5.4 billion hole in his proposal, even though its beyond obvious that it wont. Rather than confront fiscal reality, he is using the states own delay now more than six weeks in finalizing its budget as political cover to avoid the hard choices that every responsible executive must eventually make. Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders are poised to send the city $1 billion in one-time aid this year, followed by an extra $500 million annually starting in July, while also approving a new pied--terre surcharge they hope will yield another $500 million. They may even postpone costly class-size mandates for a year or two, not to reform them, but merely to delay some expensive class-size mandates for a year or two (so the money can be wasted later, rather than now).
At the state level, Hochuls budget already envisions $260 billion in spending more than a quarter of a trillion dollars, or roughly $13,000 for every resident, cementing New Yorks status as one of the nations top big-spending states. Progressive lawmakers, unsatisfied even with that staggering figure, have pushed for an additional $8 billion, and its still not enough. This is not a response to crisis conditions: The economys sound; theres no Great Recession; terrorists havent leveled the citys two biggest skyscrapers recently. As the editorial board bluntly notes, No, its simple greed and magical thinking, all around.
Mamdani campaigned on a fantasy platform of limitless government largesse, despite ample warnings about budget reality as he promised free stuff to voters. Now, faced with arithmetic that will not bend to ideology, he is quietly retreating from some of last years pledges including expanded rental assistance and select education initiatives yet still cant make ends meet. In other words, he lied through his teeth all along, and still wont admit it. Instead, hes only slapped his trademark smirk on top of Democrats standard plan for New York taxing residents to the hilt, then crying poverty.
For conservatives who believe governments first duty is basic competence, the spectacle is telling: Drawing up and passing a budget is a basic job of government. Albany insiders suggest Hochul and her allies are finally nearing agreement on taxes and spending, with votes expected to begin this week, but that only underscores how long ideology has trumped responsibility.
If and when a state deal is reached, maybe then Mamdani will finally start doing his job and cut spending so it doesnt exceed revenue. New Yorkers, already battered by high taxes and declining services, look forward to seeing how his fans like that TikTok once the bill for progressive excess finally comes due under President Trumps second administration and a resurgent national focus on fiscal sanity.
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